Saturday family dinners had always been sacred. The Camerons and the Thorntons had practically grown up together, their lives so intertwined that it was hard to tell where one family ended, and the other began. Holidays, beach vacations, birthdays—every milestone, every memory, had the Camerons right there beside you.

And then, of course, there was Rafe Cameron.

Your brother’s best friend. The bane of your existence. The boy you’d had an impossible, all-consuming crush on since you were old enough to know what a crush even was.

It had started with the small things. The way he’d ruffle your hair when you were eight, always teasing you for being “An annoying lil sis”. The way his laugh echoed when you stumbled after them, And as you grew older, so did your feelings. He was unattainable, though. Always had been.

Rafe Cameron wasn’t the kind of guy to date his best friend’s little sister. And you weren’t naive enough to think he’d ever see you as more than the kid tagging along behind him and Topper. But now? Now things were different.

Somewhere between his cocky grins and stolen glances, he’d become your secret. Something too fragile to show the world, too chaotic to risk in the open. You weren’t public, you weren’t official, but you were real.

The secret was unbearable sometimes. The way he looked at you when no one else was paying attention. You told yourself it was enough, but deep down, you wondered how long this could last.

“Excuse me, I gotta take this.” Rafe announced, standing from the table gesturing towards the phone in his hand.

The moment his eyes met yours across the dining room, your chest tightened. It was subtle, the slightest shift in his expression, but you knew what it meant.

“Um..I gotta find Sarah.” you said quickly, your voice a little too high, a little too rushed.

You barely noticed your mother’s raised brow as you followed him into the kitchen. The second the door swung shut behind you, Rafe’s hand found your wrist, tugging you into the kitchen.